More Finishes...

Glazes over clear and stained pieces

I think for this discussion I'll first include a picture of a piece that I made for a friend.  Though it isn't kitchen cabinetry you will get an idea of what the effect of a glaze is over a stain. And though the rope twisted columns on this book case are not island legs, you get the sense of what it would look like in a kitchen setting.  You have to look carefully at the rope twist and the raised panel doors and end panel to see the glazing that is applied over the shellac.  You can click on the image for a larger high resolution picture. 

Yes I used shellac.  I think shellac is not as commonly used as  it was at one time.  The beauty of shellac is the ease in applying it.  Three coats of spaying and your done.  It's best to spay  shellac because of how quickly it dries.  The main reason though for using it here is that this bookcase is made of cypress.  And cypress is prone to blotching when stained.  Since my aim was to have a honey colored finish anyway, amber shellac seemed to be a nice alternative.  The bonus of using amber shellac was not to fight staining and the blotching problems associated with staining cypress. 

After the three coats of amber shellac, I applied an oil glaze over the sanded shellac.  I applied the glaze with a rag and then wiped it off.  The glaze gets "hung up" in the corners and cracks.  You should be able to see the the dark areas of the rope twisted column and the areas around the raised panels.  You do see it right?  It really does enhance the three dimensional quality of the columns and doors while giving the piece an aged look. 

We also built and finished the kitchen cabinetry.  See the next picture.  This is a great shot of the effect of the glazing on my applied column on the pantry.  Also notice the glazing on the crown molding.